Easy Jet\'s ROA, EPS, P/E

Easy Jet's ROA, EPS, P/E and cash flow per share for the past five years are:

ROA

EPS

P/E

CashFlow/share

The comparable figures for Ryanair are as follows:

ROA

EPS

P/E

CashFlow/share

What these figures show is that EasyJet has experienced a general improvement in its operating results in recent years. In particular, the EPS and cash flow per share have shown a rebound in 2010, compared with previous years. The company had a higher P/E ratio in 2009, but that was the result of sluggish earnings (lowest ROA and EPS). Still, the evidence shows that perhaps EasyJet's performance has yet to entirely rebound from the peak year of 2007 before the fuel price spiked and the economy collapsed.

When EasyJet's figures are compared with those of Ryanair, EasyJet looks if nothing else like the more consistent of the two companies. The steep loss that Ryanair faced in fiscal 2009 was not matched by EasyJet, although it should be noted that the two companies see their fiscal year end six months apart, which could explain some of the difference. All told, however, EasyJet is outperforming Ryanair of late on key metrics, and was generally outperforming its rival before the economic meltdown in 2008-2009 as well. This indicates that EasyJet is the better performer of the two in general. The current P/E ratios would indicate that perhaps EasyJet is also the better value for the investor as well, and the P/E has generally been better for EasyJet than for Ryanair over the past five years.

For potential investors, there is little cause for concern with EasyJet's numbers. The company struggled in 2008-2009, as did all airlines, but appears to be on the rebound with its most recent results. With a high level of earnings and a relatively low multiple, EasyJet is a good bet for investors as well. Of special note is that the company's cash flow per share has rebounded to a level higher than it was prior to the recession, indicating that the company is enjoying performance that in some ways is superior to its past record.